Market Farming

["SisterSoap" <sisoap AT gwtc.net>]

We have a wild colored assorted flock... 13 Araucanas. The feed store swears
they're Araucanas, but, I think they're really Americaunas...anyhow.   Some
Barred Rocks, I love those classic"jailbirds" :-), some Gold Comets, some
New Hamps? some guineas..and one Light Brahma..LOL
My 7 year old daughter is the poultry queen.  Like your daughter Bob, they
crouch down when she's near so she can pick them up... she carries them
around talking to them, and they cluck softly back to her.

Our egg gathering is wild ... the hens are free range.. they've most
recently ranged all over my just beginning to ripen heirloom tomatoes...a
couple of days ago they decided one of the perennial beds needed debugged
:-/ ..man!  They've just torn it apart.

They've been 86'd from the open faced garage.. uggg!  It was a mess.  From
there they went to the garden shed... uugggg...

How can I convince them to lay in the nesting boxes in the coop?  We've put
plastic easter eggs in the boxes.. That helps a little...The poultry queen
locks everyone up at dusk and  leaves them locked up until 10 or 11 AM..
just before it gets too hot...that helps a little..
We're getting some nice big brown eggs from the production layers...and some
neat different shades of very small blue/green eggs from the Araucanas.  I
wonder too if, by nature, the Araucanas aren't as consistant layers as the
others?

Maybe I need to clip wings to keep them from flying/hopping over the garden
fence?.. how do I clip wings?

I can't do a chicken tractor.   The ground around the house, barns and
outbuildings is too uneven...I'm not going to get them too far away from the
house..we have a teriffic coyote/bob cat/ mountain lion problem.

As far as prices, most folks around here charge $1.25 per dozen.   Some
charge $1.00, some 75 cents!! a dozen.
One lady sells 18 packs, those are $1.50.  ...everyone has huge brown eggs..
so big the lids on the cartons can't close.

I feed Purina Mills Layena @ $9.00 a bag ...and all the tomatoes they care
to pick ;-/  .. In exchange, we are grasshopper free... only seen one tick
all year (it was right between the Komondor's eyes ;-/  .... Have not seen
any snakes around the house, shop, barns or garden all summer!

I'm not going to get rich selling eggs.. nor cut flowers... nor the heirloom
tomatoes.. nor the soap..but, by golly I'll get lot'za fresh air :-)

Rosie..Black Hills..South Dakota
Sisters Soaps & Sundries
Scattered Edge Land and Livestock